RLA Pastor's blog

I’m sure you have heard the phrase before, “When it comes to money, you can’t take it with you.” Or can you?

I realize that when this life is over I will leave my material possessions behind. I do not need to take my house to Heaven because Jesus has prepared for me an eternal home. I do not need to take my wardrobe to Heaven because He will clothe me in robes of righteousness. None of the essentials of this life will be necessary in Heaven. The Lord who is my all-in-all will supply my every need.

That we leave our earthly possessions behind was a frustrating thought for Solomon. In the second chapter of Ecclesiastes Solomon bemoaned the fact that upon his death everything he had accumulated and accomplished would be left to others. Moral of the story: hold on to the things of this life loosely because they are only temporary.

But what about my money? Can I take it with me? Only in this sense. If you want to take your money to Heaven, invest it in things that are going to Heaven — people!

This is one of the great motivations to giving. Yes, I pay tithes and give offerings in obedience to the multiple commands of the Bible. I do it as a way of acknowledging God’s ownership over my possessions. But I also give with the idea of investment in mind. I have invested money in certain ventures only to lose my investment. But no money invested in the work of the Lord is ever lost!

Paying tithes and giving offerings is one of the ways we lay up treasure in Heaven (Matthew 6:20). As we invest in the work of the local church with our tithes, we become partners in ministries that are touching lives. As we invest in missions, we join missionaries stationed around the world and become co-workers in their labors.

The exciting thing about giving to the Lord’s work is that you never know the possible exponential returns on your investment. Thirty-four years ago I was brand new in the ministry. I had the opportunity of investing in the life of an eighteen-year-old young man who was a new Christian. At first, it was an investment of time. It later became an investment of money to help support him in his ministry endeavors. My friend now stands on the brink of becoming the president of an international ministry that touches the lives of thousands of children every year. Little did I know in 1984 how this particular investment would pay off for the cause of Christ!​

Be a faithful steward of the resources God has entrusted to your care, and be a wise investor (by the way, it’s never too late to begin). When you think about it, you can take it with you when you invest in the work of God. As for the returns, they are literally out of this world.

After a twenty-year separation, Jacob was going home. In the heat of a family dispute Jacob did what many others have done. He moved out in search of greener pastures only to find that there are no perfect families. Two decades of putting up with his manipulating father-in-law was enough for Jacob. Living with Laban was an eye-opening experience. Maybe his own family wasn’t so bad after all, so Jacob decided it was time to go home.

The only problem with going home was the unfinished business with Esau. Jacob, whose name means schemer, had scammed his twin brother on two occasions. Finding Esau faint from hunger, Jacob took advantage of his brother’s momentary weakness and convinced him to trade his treasured birthright for a bowl of stew. If that wasn’t enough, Jacob then deceived his blind father, Isaac, into believing he was Esau. In this way, he swindled his brother out of his blessing as the firstborn. For Jacob’s underhanded, scheming ways, Esau promised the ultimate revenge.

That was twenty-years ago. But the unresolved conflict with his brother gave Jacob cause for concern. That concern gave way to panic when he learned that Esau was approaching with four-hundred men. So Jacob quickly devised a plan in an attempt to appease the brother he had wronged. He arranged for a series of presents to be sent ahead. The idea was for Esau to be inundated with gifts, one after another. Whether it was the gifts or the merciful hand of God, all we know is that the animosity was gone. The reunion was peaceful. Better yet, it was healing.

Like Jacob who sinned against Esau, we have sinned against the Lord on multiple occasions. But unlike Jacob who sought to right the wrong with a series of presents, there are no gifts we can give to undo the damage and make it right. God knew that. So in His amazing love He gave the gift of His only begotten Son. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we who have sinned against God far worse than Jacob ever dreamed of sinning against Esau can be reconciled to God!

But what about the gifts? Send them ahead not in order to appease the wrath of God, but to please your heavenly Father.

A day of reckoning is coming for every believer (2 Cor. 5:10). I believe you would agree that we do not want to stand empty-handed in the presence of the One Who gave His all for us. So send ahead your gifts of joyful service, generous giving, faithful ministry, and selfless sacrifice. ​

Literally inundate Heaven with gifts. And rather than dreading the moment as Jacob feared meeting Esau, you will anticipate standing before the Lord with confidence and great joy!

Excuse-making has been around for a long time. It began in the Garden of Eden when Eve blamed the serpent, and Adam blamed Eve for their mutual act of disobedience. Since then we humans have fine-tuned the art of making excuses. Do you need some real life examples?

An excuse for a car accident: “The telephone pole was quickly approaching. I was attempting to swerve out of its way when it struck my front end.”

An excuse for non-payment of rent: “We knew we wouldn’t be able to pay next month’s rent, so we decided to not pay this month’s rent either.”

An excuse for speeding, “I was low on gas, and I wanted to make sure I had enough speed to coast home.”

Some excuses are so lame they are embarrassing. I get embarrassed for Aaron every time I read his excuse concerning the golden calf which he made. Upon getting caught he explained to Moses, “I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!” (Exodus 32:24). Aaron’s excuse was so ridiculous it left Moses’ speechless!

We all know what excuse-making is because we’ve all done it at one time or another. It’s the attempt to get out of something without taking ownership. It’s passing the buck. But stop and consider how foolish excuse-making really is. If Aaron couldn’t convince Moses of his innocence, do we seriously think we can bluff our way through with God?

When we do wrong, God isn’t waiting to hear an excuse. He is waiting to hear a confession. When we are faced with a commandment from the Word, God isn’t waiting to hear an excuse. He is waiting to see obedience. We can attempt to vindicate ourselves all we want, but the words of Romans 2:1 shoot down our puny arguments, “You have no excuse.”

Excuse-making will lead to a life of mediocrity. We can justify our shortcomings to the point our lives count for very little in the realm of the kingdom. Saul, Israel’s first king, is a timeless example of this possibility. He literally excused himself right off the throne of Israel.

No one ever excused themselves into success. God’s best lies beyond our excuses. For every excuse we may offer, God has a definitive answer.

So save yourself the embarrassment of making excuses that neither God or anyone else will believe or wants to hear. Face up to the truth. Take ownership. Stand on the promises of God’s Word in every situation. And instead of explaining to others why you can’t, begin declaring why you can! “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).

I recently had the opportunity of going with my parents and sister to see the presentation of “SAMSON” at the Sight and Sound Theater in Branson, Missouri. The production told the story of one of the most remarkable characters of the Bible.

Samson lived during the days of the Old Testament judges when the Children of Israel suffered under the dominion of the Philistines, a cruel and ruthless people. As a Nazarite from birth, Samson lived according to a strict vow. A Nazarite must not eat or drink anything that comes from grapes, must not approach a dead body, and must not cut his hair (Numbers 6:1-8).

There were others who took the Nazarite vow including John the Baptist. But Samson alone was gifted with supernatural strength.

You cannot help but wonder when Samson first learned about his amazing strength. Maybe it happened when he was attacked by a lion in the vineyards of Timnah. As a Nazarite, Samson had no business going anywhere near a vineyard, much less a vineyard in a Philistine city. It is little wonder he was attacked there by a lion that came roaring against him (Judges 14:5). The Bible tells us to be on guard because, “our adversary, the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Mercifully, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson and enabled him to kill the lion with his bare hands.

As the story of Samson continues we read of greater feats of strength, along with greater moments of compromise. The man who killed one thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey finally met his match in a sultry seductress named Delilah. With Delilah in his life Samson began playing Russian Roulette with his soul. As she pressed him daily, Samson came closer and closer to giving away the secret of his strength until he finally broke and told all.

By the time Delilah was done with Samson, the Spirit of the Lord departed, and the enemy came rushing in (Judges 16:20). Blinded and bound by his Philistine captors, Samson was forced to grind grain like an ox. The Bible also notes that in the meantime Samson’s hair began to grow again. Like Samson’s hair, grace can be cut off in a moment, but it has a way of coming back.

The Bible does not provide details of what surely transpired between Samson and the Lord. All we know is that in the end Samson died with a prayer on his lips. He won a greater victory in his death than all the combined victories in his life and is included in the roll call of the Heroes of Faith (Hebrews 11:32).

As strong as he was, Samson’s story reminds us that every person has been conquered by sin. Jesus Christ alone conquered sin, and He did it on our behalf! With arms outstretched in the Temple of Dagon, Samson’s death brought judgment upon the Philistines, and sinners died. With arms outstretched on the Cross of Calvary, Christ’s death brought judgment upon Himself, and sinners may live. Such is the wonder and power of God’s saving grace!​